Hello, Dolly! Tour reviews. — Page 2

RemlapLBC said: "We are debating putting our subscription seats at the Hollywood Pantages up for sale. Nothing against Betty Buckley, but we made a trip to NYC when Bette returned and that evening was fantastic. Yes, it was the "Bette Show" however, I'm not sure if I want to see the scaled back touring company (sets/props, etc, not actors) less than a year later."

 

I saw the show twice on Broadway: Bernadette Peters on May 30th and Bette Midler on August 18th. Seven weeks after I watched Bette, I saw Betty Buckley on October 5th and 6th. There is nothing scaled back in the touring show that made any difference when compared to the shows I saw on Broadway. I saw “Hello, Dolly!” 4 times in 18 weeks. Am I’m one of the ONLY people on this entire forum that’s seen the touring production TWICE. 

So, if there was THAT much of a difference - sets, props, or whatever - I would have seen it. Yes, there are some very minor differences. But they did not matter. This show, simply put, is an absolute joy to behold. I loved it so much I’m planning to see it twice in Columbus, OH when it comes next May, and already have my ticket reserved for Aug 2019 when it comes to Pittsburgh. 

 

 

Updated On: 10/18/18 at 07:54 PM

dmwnc1959 said:  I saw the show twice on Broadway: Bernadette Peters on May 30thand Bette Midler on August 18th. Seven weeks after I watchedBette, I sawBetty Buckley onOctober 5th and 6th. There is nothing scaled back in the touring show that made any differencewhen comparedto the shows I saw on Broadway.I saw “Hello, Dolly!”4 times in 18 weeks. Am I’m one of the ONLY people onthis entire forum that’s seen the touring productionTWICE.

So,if there was THAT much of a difference -sets, props, or whatever -I would have seen it. Yes, there are some very minor differences. But they did not matter. This show, simply put, is an absolutejoy to behold. I loved it so much I’m planning to see it twice in Columbus, OH when it comes next May, and already have my ticket reserved for Aug 2019 when it comes to Pittsburgh."

Thanks @dmwnc1959.  Good to know.  I guess we're going back to Yonkers.   However, CATS tickets are still toast and being listed on TM the day the public onsale starts.  (Unless someone on here wants some inexpensive side orchestra tickets.)

Niles Silvers said: "She was horribly miscast."

BuddyStarr said: "This reminds me of a production of Funny Girl..."

 

But when YOU saw this show with Betty Buckley in it, whether it was in Utica or Cleveland, did YOU enjoy the show? As YOU were sitting there at the performances in Utica or Cleveland, what is it in Betty Buckley’s performance that YOU witnessed that she could improve on? Or are you just spouting personal “opinions” based off of some critic’s review? 

I’ve also seen the movie recently, after seeing the show as previously mentioned, and didn’t think Streisand was all that funny. Sarcastic, yes. But not soooo funny that I’ll call her role in the show comedic. 

All of the naysayers who are slamming the show and haven’t seen it will be projecting that negativity into a self-fullfillng prophecy when you do eventually see it. When is that? Next year? Which is a shame. As I’ve said, I HAVE seen Betty Buckley, twice in this show, on consecutive nights. If it was that bad I’d not be considering investing several hundreds of dollars in tickets plus traveling expenses. I didn’t even do that with WICKED, which is still my favorite. 

 

Updated On: 10/19/18 at 06:21 AM

LizzieCurry said: "Has anyone here actually been slamming the show, though? Or just her?

(I'm going to see it next month, but I'm not going for her, so it's a moot point to me...)"

 

Betty Buckley and the touring production of “Hello, Dolly!” have both been negatively commented on or had doubts cast, whether it’s the staging and orchestra, or the title person. This started even before the first previews in Utica while the show was still in rehearsals. Once the Utica shows were done and the first pictures came out, along with member comments, some of that was swayed.

But after the first critical review of Betty Buckley came out from Cleveland, some people would give up on the entire show simply based on that. I’m still seeing Instagram and Twitter comments of those who go to see the show, and to see Betty Buckley, and loved both. These people are not paid critics, but regular people like you and I that attend theater performances with season subscriptions. I’ve yet to see one comment in all of those that was negative. 

As I commented on in the other Dolly thread, I’ve seen three takes of how the title role is played, and they were all different. At this point Bernadette is still my favorite and Bette last place of the three “B’s” I’ve seen. But as someone intimated, it was the “Bette Show” and not so much “Hello, Dolly!” we really went for. 

 

 

Updated On: 10/19/18 at 10:25 AM

The good news: The tour does not seem scaled down from Broadway  A Few minor things that don't make much difference.

 

The bad news:  Having seen B Peters,  B Midler and D Murphy in the role --the show was socko. They all brought  something unique, funny  and themselves to it.

Unfortunately, as good as an actor as Betty Buckley is, she sinks the show.  She is just not right for the role.  She has no comic chops.  There is something very off with her casting.

The show is not called Hello Horace. Or Hello Irene Molloy. Or Bye Bye Barnaby..   Buckley doesn't have the comic chops or stage presence to pull this one off. She needs to stick to dramatic roles.

I have no axe to grind against Betty Buckley  Having loved Dolly with ALL of the Broadway ladies, I was interested to see what Buckly could bring to it.  The best I can say is she knew her lines, smiled and didn't bump into the furniture. 

Betty talks about touring ........

 

HereAndThere2 said: "I have seen Betty Buckley perform many times, dating back half a century. Two nights ago, "Dolly" came to town. As familiar as I am with Betty, I didn't see her on stage. I saw only "Dolly". She loses herself in the role. Hilariously funny at times, poignantly sad at others. When she cried real tears during "Parade," so did I. Her interpretation of the songs is uniquely Betty Buckley, and absolutely spot-on for the character.This woman has perfected her craft, and her "Dolly Levi" proves it. "Thank You" Betty Buckley!"

Agree completely! She nailed it!

I saw it today at matinee. What a winning production.
I had seen it with Bette Midler in NY. Of course, Betty Buckley's Dolly is very different than Bette's [I prefer not to imagine Betty "doing Bette"] but she quickly had the audience in the palm of her hand. When the BIG orchestra started the overture, I was transported again. It was great to see the scale of the NY production was maintained. The same big chorus AND ensemble, the same choreography and costumes, and most of the sets.

The entire cast is great, but I was especially taken with Lewis J. Stadlen as Horace and Jess LeProtto as Barnaby.

In spite of a "technical difficulty" that extended the intermission to almost 45 minutes, by the final curtain (it's a long show under normal circumstances) the audience was still in love and on their feet. ...and for a Wednesday matinee audience, that can be quite an accomplishment.

(By the way, you can tell it's a Scott Rudin production. Strong rules against any photogrpahy in the auditorium, even before the show [and the show curtain is a red curtain with no decoration beyond gold fringe.] and no late seating from the start of the overture until Dolly leaves the stage, 14 minutes and two numbers into the show. [There's a monitor in the lobby])

Updated On: 2/21/19 at 01:42 AM

LizzieCurry said: "Really?! The photography thing was NOT an issue at the Nederlander (then Oriental) in Chicago."

You (or those around you) may not have been obviously taking pictures, or the ushers may have been busy seating people and missed it. Similar to a few years ago when shows started letting people take pictures (including the curtain/set) before the show - there were no real announcements that it was OK, but rather the staff no longer stepped in. Most audience members likely weren't aware that there had been a change in rules.

Of course, in the best case, any problems are quietly dealt with in a way that doesn't disturb the rest of the patrons.

Updated On: 2/21/19 at 01:36 PM

Saw the show last night and my hot take? This was a phenomenally talented woman, albiet one who is past her vocal prime, in a role singularly unsuited for her talents. Dolly requires an understanding of musical comedy and moreover good, old-fashioned vaudevillian schtick.It is a role that requires the performer be an actor first and a singer maybe third or forth. Buckeley is not, and has never been, a natural comedienne. Even the roles she performed in comedies (like Drood or Triumph of Love or on tv in 8 is Enough) called for her to be more of a straight woman. She transitioned early on from ingenues to tortured divas. In this production she has been given a lot of bits of buisness clearly devised by Bette Midler and they are an ill-fit. She's just...not funny. Her most succesfull moments are when she is allowed to be heartfelt. She copes gamely with the demands of the role but the entire time I felt like I was watching someone struggle. 

Surrounding her, however, is an absolute gem of a production, and the supporting cast is largely excellent. Lewis J. Stadlen is insanely perfect for this role. Kristen Hahn's Minnie Fay is a version of Georgia Engel's breathy-voiced monotone that is absolutely sidesplitting. Nic Rouleau is wonderfully cast. Jess LeProtto is kind of stiff but MAN can that boy dance. Didn't love Analisa Leaming, who is making some very strong choices with the role, but that's more of a manner of personal taste. 

Updated On: 2/21/19 at 02:17 PM

I have tickets to see the tour this Tuesday. But I have to confess - I've never actually seen a production of Hello Dolly! I bought my ticket based on the excellent things I heard about the recent Broadway production, and that I like classic musicals.

Is Hello Dolly one of those shows that I should have some familiarity with going in? Last week I saw the Kiss Me Kate revival in New York, and in retrospect I wish I had spent more time reading up on The Taming of the Shrew.